Chapter 17: The Seventeenth Night: "The Long House" Setting 2 - About the house
Author: [Settings, please skip if not interested.
It's mostly unrelated to the story.
For those who are interested in the setting and background.
If you're bored, try imagining where my wife and Mark had sex.
I'll summarize these settings separately because they would make the main story too long.
There are still things I want to talk about regarding this house, so I'll write about it when the time comes.
If you have any questions or comments, feel free to leave them.]
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The House
The House where my wife, her parents and I live appears to be a typical two-story house from the street. However, it has a long depth that spans three plots of land, resembling an eel's bed.
In the past, houses were built with narrow frontages to reduce taxes based on the width of the property. Nevertheless, this House exudes history and elegance with its thick beams and pillars reminiscent of those found in temples.
Let me describe some parts of the house:
- Front Entrance and Genkan (entrance hall)
There is no front yard; instead, it directly faces the street like a townhouse. The entire area is covered by wooden vertical lattice screens for privacy. On the right side facing inward is a lattice door made of frosted glass which serves as our entrance.
Upon entering through this door lies a narrow passage called "tobira doma" or genkan which leads to other areas inside. It has rough gravel flooring that extends towards the back while being dimly lit due to low ceilings.
On one side along this passage is an open-air corridor similar to verandas where many people can take off their shoes at once before proceeding further inside. Across from here are sliding doors leading into tatami rooms or zashiki.
This long passageway also features shoji screens dividing it into sections until reaching another room called daidokoro or kitchenette beyond which lies another set of sliding doors opening up onto an inner courtyard accessible via latticed gates shining brightly under early summer sunshine amidst otherwise dark interiors.
- Ochaya (living room)
The first tatami room upon entering serves as both our living space for daily use and guest reception area when needed. Between its windows facing outward towards streetside lies enough space for one person sitting comfortably while separated by shoji screens forming what we call hiroen or wide veranda often seen in traditional inns.
This space serves to block out noise from outside while allowing for air circulation. This house is cool during summer but cold during winter, so many rooms are partitioned by fusuma sliding doors and other means of insulation.
In this room, there is a rare type of sunken hearth called irori which we cover with wooden boards during the current season. During colder months, my father-in-law often bakes thin rice cakes on it to serve guests.
There is also a long low table or chabudai where we usually gather around after meals for family time. Listening to the radio has become our usual pastime since television does not exist yet in this world. When I tried explaining TV to my wife once, she asked if it was like watching movies at home and wondered how people could watch something every day without getting tired.
- Other amenities
Although there are no televisions here, there exists an appliance similar in shape to old-fashioned box TVs called "gen'ei-ki" or phantom projector that projects images onto screens resembling monitors using optical film media such as 8mm reels commonly used here.
It works by quickly moving frames of film through light projection just like flipbooks resulting in slightly jerky motion pictures accompanied by separate audio tapes that must be set up correctly lest they fall out of sync with visuals.
While mostly used for recording purposes, some entertainment films have been made available for rental or purchase although their short running times make them less popular than video cassettes elsewhere.
We also own a camera device powered by hand-cranked springs instead of electricity which uses similarly sized film reels as above mentioned projector albeit only capable of capturing stills rather than motion pictures.
I recall seeing footage taken with this camera showing my wife's childhood days when she looked incredibly adorable alongside me who had already started admiring her even then...
・Kitchen
Next to the living room, it's a small room used for storing guests' luggage or changing clothes. It leads to the dining room where my wife's parents and I usually have dinner together. Passing through the sliding doors and going down to the dirt floor hallway, we arrive at the kitchen.
It has an old-fashioned style with a kitchen on a dirt floor that is often seen in traditional Japanese farmhouses. There is a long stone sink reminiscent of elementary school water fountains, a well-used gas stove, and a large retro refrigerator with rounded edges. The door handles are equipped with large bottle openers that look like tools because not only beer but also soda and juice bottles have crown caps that require bottle openers.
There is also a well with a pump inside the kitchen which is now only used to cool watermelons.
・Courtyard
We can go out from the backdoor of the kitchen into the courtyard where trees are planted and laundry poles are set up. One side of it has wooden fences with gates leading out onto an alleyway while two sides face verandas where my wife's parents' rooms and guest rooms are located.
・Storehouse
There is a storehouse in about halfway through our estate; however, it isn't separate from our house but rather built within its structure. It has thick front doors made of wood called "Kannon-do" (the temple gate dedicated to Kannon) which separates it from other parts of our house using plastered walls mixed with stones so that even if there were ever any fire accidents in our estate, this part would be protected.
The interior consists of two floors containing ancient documents, talismans as well as mysterious items related to yokai (Japanese monsters).
Behind this storehouse lies several tatami-matted rooms mainly used for business purposes.
・Second Floor
To reach upstairs we must climb steep stairs resembling a ladder. Our bedroom and study are located in the room facing the street, which has a unique feature of having a wooden window frame that makes a distinctive creaking sound when opened or closed.
There is also an area called "Shoin-koban" between sliding doors and windows where there is enough space for one child to hide under it like a desk made of wood panels. I love leaning on this spot while gazing down at the street below.
Apart from our bedroom and my wife's private room, most rooms upstairs are unused despite their large number. Some parts have been added later so that corridors twist around like mazes with some rooms piled up with household items while others remain empty.
Some areas have skylights for natural light, but sometimes we find stairs behind fusuma (Japanese sliding doors) leading to unexpected places.
When my mother-in-law showed me around inside our house once before, she told me about how one of these old-fashioned dressing tables was used as a waiting room for courtesans who were invited to parties held here in ancient times.
Although they no longer exist now, she said that courtesans used to come and go frequently during her childhood days.
"So...my mother always warned us not to get too close around here."
She chuckled without explaining what was funny about it.
Despite nobody else living upstairs except us, sometimes we feel as if someone or something else is present there. We hear whispers coming from empty rooms or footsteps walking on creaky floors even though nobody should be there. Sometimes we sense somebody staring at us from dark corners beyond hallways; however, my wife seems accustomed to such things since she doesn't seem bothered by them much.
I've gotten used to them too; nevertheless seeing trays set out in front of certain rooms still gives me goosebumps because although I don't feel any malicious intent emanating from them usually - rather they give off a feeling of protecting our house.
Anyway, that's what our old estate is like.
By the way, this house is not making a living through any particular means. If you had to say what they do for a living, it would be something like renting out banquet halls. They provide many tatami rooms in their House for events such as banquets and so on. Even local events are often held at this house.
Although it's rare now, apparently weddings used to be held at this House frequently just like ours.
Since there is no exclusive chef, it's different from a restaurant. When there are simple parties, my mother-in-law and wife prepare the food themselves; when there are more people attending, they ask nearby restaurants to cater. For large events, sometimes professional chefs are dispatched.
As for whether they can make a living doing that or not - while their lifestyle isn't luxurious per se, they're quite well-off. Moreover, thanks to the income from charms provided by my wife and mother-in-law who work as shrine maidens (miko), I hear that there is also some sort of spiritual income.
And although I'm not entirely sure about this part - apparently there are also benefits coming from "the other side" through tsukumogami.
This family seems to be one of the powerful families in town. Although I don't know much about the history of the city itself... originally it might have been something like an inn where daimyos stayed in our previous world? Perhaps that evolved into becoming a place for tsukumogami instead or vice versa... In any case, it seems like an old and prestigious family.
The neighbors generally call this house "〇jima-ya" but behind closed doors they refer to it as either "the haunted House" or "tsukumogami house".
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
Akamashi
Akamashi Sorry i haven't up anthing for a few days. My laziness took over me. Well, that being said. Back to new chapters.